The Cradle Nursery Wigston

A large building on Leicester Road gives The Cradle Nursery Wigston its physical character; play shaped around children’s interests gives it its educational direction. This is the original Cradle location, with spacious areas for exploration and a settling process built around getting to know each child. For parents, the combination puts the emphasis on both the setting and the relationship with the people caring for their child.

The nursery has capacity for 72 children and accepts ages from three months to five years. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found safeguarding effective and identified effective, individualised support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That judgement is dated: a later fire-safety action also matters to the decision.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care, bringing physical development, communication and learning through play into the nursery day. Alongside that foundation, Wigston’s current approach shapes learning around individual interests and stages of development. The practical value is a starting point based on the child rather than an identical activity for everyone.

In April 2023, physical play included yoga movements, dancing with scarves and climbing the steps of a slide. These offered different kinds of movement: balancing, coordinating hands and bodies, and tackling a physical challenge. Younger children also squeezed soapy water through pipettes, giving small hand movements a purpose within an absorbing activity.

During that same April 2023 period, babies explored bubbles, musical instruments and ribbons moved with songs. Preschool children’s interest in digestion prompted further activities about how the body works. These examples show the difference between providing resources and extending an interest: a question about the body became something children could explore further.

Outdoor and Community Life

In April 2023, the mud kitchen supported pretend cooking with pans and pots, while adults used children’s imaginary meals as a starting point for conversation. It brought imaginative play and language together through a familiar subject. The slide offered another physical challenge alongside that quieter role play.

Eid celebrations in April 2023 included tasting cultural dishes made by the nursery cook. A dentist had also visited, and children brushed their teeth following meals. These were concrete links between nursery experiences and everyday life, from food and celebrations to caring for teeth; they should be read as examples from that period rather than a current events calendar.

Relationships and Communication

Wigston’s settling process begins with understanding the individual child and building familiarity. Consistent care and relationships are central to that approach, making the start of nursery a process of getting acquainted rather than simply introducing a new timetable.

The group-wide Baby’s Day App is used at Wigston for learning information, photographs, videos, milestones and messages. It gives families another way to follow what their child has been doing and to keep communication going between conversations with staff.

In April 2023, children sought comfort from familiar adults and babies shared stories with their key person. Staff also helped children talk about feelings by choosing pictures of facial expressions. That offered a concrete way to communicate an emotion when finding the words could be harder.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2023, the manager also held the special educational needs coordinator role, working with families and outside professionals to organise support. This is a specific mechanism for coordinating a child’s care and learning, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

Home-cooked meals and snacks formed part of the day in April 2023, with food reflecting the backgrounds of children attending. The nursery cook prepared the dishes sampled during Eid celebrations.

Ofsted’s outcome dated 16 August 2023 followed a regulatory visit on 4 August 2023 and required action on health and safety, specifically fire safety, by 1 November 2023. The outcome does not establish whether the action was subsequently completed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 306-308 Leicester Road, Wigston, LE18 1JX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas; that distinction matters when planning care around working weeks rather than school terms.

Families can contact the Wigston team by telephone, email or the contact form, and arrange a visit. The lengthy opening window is useful context for working parents, while the attendance arrangement needs to fit the child’s routine as well as the adult’s working day.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families should use a current written quotation when comparing the cost of an attendance arrangement.

• Fire-safety action. The outcome dated 16 August 2023 required fire-safety compliance action by 1 November 2023. Ask to see the subsequent outcome and how fire safety is managed now.
• Children’s choices. In April 2023, adults sometimes directed play too closely and gave younger children insufficient thinking time after questions. During a visit, look at how children select resources and how staff leave space for an answer.
• Attendance and total cost. What booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements apply at Wigston, and how are meals and non-food consumables treated in the written quotation? Establish the complete arrangement before comparing costs.
• Starting nursery. The settling process centres on learning about each child. Discuss how that process will accommodate your child’s familiar routines and relationships.

Wigston suits families seeking year-round care within a broad weekday opening window, with learning shaped around children’s interests and app communication alongside personal relationships. Its spacious building and the practical play documented in April 2023 give the offer substance. The decision also needs to take account of the later fire-safety action and the earlier weaknesses in children’s independence and staff questioning.